Dr. Z's Coming Around

Redskins Locker Room

Dr Z picks the Seahawks here, but you can see how fair he's being in giving our Skins their due respect. I agree with him that Seattle is more likely to win, but only because they've had a bye. If both teams were on one week's rest, I'd favor the Skins. I think we have an uphill battle this week, but I believe it can be done. The underdog role is not such a bad one! Anyway, here's his opinion:

Washington at Seattle

WHAT I SAW: The Redskins beat Tampa Bay on an amazing set of miscues and turnovers that led to points, plus late game Buccaneer foul-ups and just plain courage. While people were moaning about the death of the Skins' offense, they failed to give enough credit to the heroic job their defense was doing. There were just too many good players on that side of the ball, guys who could not be handled.

Cornelius Griffin was an all-pro tackle last year, an honor he well deserved. He's been hurt this season, but he was back against the Bucs. They couldn't control him. I thought Marcus Washington was the best player on the field, an outside 'backer who is very close to all-pro level. LaVar Arrington lifted his game at just the right time. So did Joe Salavea. There were heroes all along the front seven.

Maybe if they were facing a quarterback with a little more experience they would have lost, because their offense was played out. Done. Mark Brunell and Clinton Portis had played themselves to exhaustion, and the O-line was starting to crumble, under the pressure of the Buccaneer rush.

WHAT LIES AHEAD: I think the Redskins are a tired team right now. They beat the Seahawks 20-17 in overtime in Washington in October, controlling the second and third quarters, while the Hawks controlled the fourth. Then the Skins got off the only significant drive in OT to win it, Brunell scrambling for 18 yards on one key play.

Washington is the tougher team, but the Hawks are rested and they've got tremendous firepower. One nagging thing I can't forget, though, is how they blew their chance to beat the 'Skins last time by playing it cozy.

Kelly Herndon intercepted a Brunell pass and returned it to Washington's 33 with 49 seconds left in regulation time. Mike Holmgren chose to run the ball twice, for four yards, and let the clock run down. Then the 47-yard field goal try, hardly a gimme, hit the left upright. The icy fingers on the throat. Please, God, don't let us screw it up. Marty Schottenheimer lost a playoff game to HermanEdwards that way last year and Edwards lost it to Bill Cowher the same way a week later.

The Redskins have guts but they're tired. The Seahawks have the big scoring potential.

To be honest, while rooting hard this weekend, I'm just absolutely thrilled with what the Redskins have been able to accomplish this year.

-record goes from 6-10 to 11-6
-1st time in playoffs since the 1999 season
-playoff road win against an 11-5 team
-5-1 record in the division
-6 straight wins
-keeping Dallas out of the playoffs
-Portis sets franchise rushing record
-Moss sets franchise receiving record
-Cooley sets franchise receiving record for a tight end
-Brunell comes back from the dead
-defense remains top 10 defense despite the loss of Pierce and Smoot

That's objective and fair analysis. You can't really expect national writers to pick the Skins because of the historic edge #1 seeds have in the divisional round. It's almost like picking a #15 to beat a #2 in the NCAA tournament. Okay, maybe 13-4 is more appropriate. But its the same principle. The Redskins are definitely swimming against the tide in terms of the normal expectations.

To be honest, while rooting hard this weekend, I'm just absolutely thrilled with what the Redskins have been able to accomplish this year.

-record goes from 6-10 to 11-6
-1st time in playoffs since the 1999 season
-playoff road win against an 11-5 team
-5-1 record in the division
-6 straight wins
-keeping Dallas out of the playoffs
-Portis sets franchise rushing record
-Moss sets franchise receiving record
-Cooley sets franchise receiving record for a tight end
-Brunell comes back from the dead
-defense remains top 10 defense despite the loss of Pierce and Smoot

Damn straight. Joe Gibbs proved everybody wrong, and took a team that was predicted to be in the cellar farther than any other NFC East team came this year.

That too is my only concern - fatigue. Both physically and emotionally. I think if we can jump to like a 10 pt lead, we can handle them from there. I don't want us to be in a situation where we are basically trading scores the entire game.

I just wonder how much longer can we play, collectively, at such a high emotional level.

I don't think it's as much about fatigue as it is DESIRE. Skins have the desire. Adrenalin is a POWERFUL weapon.
All of my life, my mother has told me "nobody ever died from being tired". Hell, she was right. I know you will NOT direspect my mom and dispute that............thankyou

__________________ Goodbye Sean..........Vaya Con Dios
thankyou Joe.......“God made certain people to play football. He was one of them.” – Joe Gibbs

That too is my only concern - fatigue. Both physically and emotionally. I think if we can jump to like a 10 pt lead, we can handle them from there. I don't want us to be in a situation where we are basically trading scores the entire game.

I just wonder how much longer can we play, collectively, at such a high emotional level.

I think Shawn Spring's presence will help with that, and I don't see Griffen, Washington, or Taylor getting tired at all, ever.

The Skins may be tired, but I think they will have better success this week on the Offensive side of the ball. If they can control the clock and the game, I like Portis, and Betts sharing the load running the ball. The O-line needs to play with some intensity early, because I don't worry about the D's intensity. Honestly, a lot of the analysis from these writers comes from the team's stats this year, but I still say the Seahawks have played a cupcake schedule and that the Skins match up with them better than most are giving them credit for right now.

Thank God, a sportswriter who isn't afraid to give some props to Washington.

And it only took him the whole regular season. Just remember 'Dr.' Z is the same man who, at the beginning of the season, picked the Bears finishing at 3-13 with one of their 3 wins IN WASHINGTON week 1. Way to go on both of those predictions doc.
I almost threw up right before the last game of the season because he actually picked us to win, and he's almost always wrong about our beloved Skins.
I personally can't stand Dr. Z and I love when he picks against us (i.e. both Dallas games, the second NYG games) because I want him to look stupid for not seeing what we have all seen over the past year and a half: That this is a great team that just needed to realize it!
I'm not saying every sports writer should always pull a No. 7 and pick the Skins as the NFC Champs, but don't start saying how good they are now just because they too have jumped on the bandwagon. (speaking of The Bandwagon, has Tony K. broke that out yet?)

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to plant my butt on the couch and not get up until after the game.

To be honest, while rooting hard this weekend, I'm just absolutely thrilled with what the Redskins have been able to accomplish this year.

-record goes from 6-10 to 11-6
-1st time in playoffs since the 1999 season
-playoff road win against an 11-5 team
-5-1 record in the division
-6 straight wins
-keeping Dallas out of the playoffs
-Portis sets franchise rushing record
-Moss sets franchise receiving record
-Cooley sets franchise receiving record for a tight end
-Brunell comes back from the dead
-defense remains top 10 defense despite the loss of Pierce and Smoot

I'm not just rooting hard, I'm confident we will move on! More so than against DaBux!